This song was written by soul singer Shirley Ellis and her manager, Lincoln Chase. In it, Shirley proves that she can rhyme any name using just a few simple rules ("Shirley - Shirley, Shirley bo Birley Bonana fanna fo Firley Fee fy mo Mirley, Shirley!"). Shirley used to amaze audiences by taking name game requests. Shirley usually had the good sense to ignore requests for "Chuck."
Ellis had another novelty hit a few months later with "The Clapping Song," which had a similar theme.
This song was also known as the "Banana Song." Shirley said for a magazine interview that this song was based on a children's game she used to play.
This has been featured on several movies including Flawless and The Money Pit.
A Season 2 episode of the TV show American Horror Story was named after this song, which featured a memorable scene where a delusional Jessica Lange performs it in what becomes a big production number.
Responses